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From Harold & Kumar to the Beastie Boys, Columbus-based White Castle has been the favored
fast-food joint of rappers, punk bands and Hollywood filmmakers alike. The company website even
includes a link inviting so-called Cravers — White Castle regulars — to submit their favorite
Castle pop-culture references.

“People have referred to us as a cultlike brand, which I think is certainly very flattering,”
says White Castle System President Lisa Ingram. The brand’s influence is pervasive. Hardly a
happy-hour menu exists today without offering up some variation on White Castle’s signature
2-by-2-inch sandwich, the Slider. Beyond mainstream pop culture, the brand has personal meaning for
many customers: Ingram says White Castle receives requests to cater weddings as well as wakes.

A former student of finance and marketing, Ingram sees such requests as proof that White Castle
does more than fill Cravers’ bellies: “It feeds their souls, and that’s something that we’re really
proud of.”

Ingram takes seriously her customers’ devotion to White Castle’s offerings. As fourth-generation
president of the business founded by her great-grandfather Billy Ingram in 1921, Lisa Ingram has
maintained the company’s core product line while at the same time expanding the menu and
frozen-food production to stay competitive in the crowded fast-food market.

Ingram cites quality control as the reason the company operates all of its 400 restaurants
rather than franchising. White Castle System bakes its own bread, processes its own meat and
distributes products to all 50 states through its

frozen-foods division. After the May 1 grand opening of a third frozen-food plant, Ingram
invited
Columbus CEO magazine to White Castle headquarters to discuss the longevity of her family’s
business and the challenges facing fast-food operators today.

Q: What percentage of revenue/future growth does the frozen-foods division represent?

A: We’re very excited about this division. Currently, it represents almost 20 percent of our
sales. It’s a great way for us to expand. We’re able to reach all 50 states with that product,
versus (having only) 400 restaurants in the Midwest and the East Coast.

Q: What measures have you taken to insulate White Castle from rising corn and beef

prices?

A: I wish there was a silver bullet for this one. We’ve seen record-high beef costs this year.
It’s been very, very challenging. Certainly our purchasing department is always looking for ways to
save us money without sacrificing quality because that’s not something we would do. But it is
something that’s very challenging right now. Beef is at an all-time high, and it’s not projected to
come down. We’ve been pretty vocal about renewable-fuel standards and how we feel that has impacted
our beef price.

Q: What makes Columbus a good headquarters for White Castle?

A: 2014 marks the 80th year that we have been in Columbus. We love Columbus; it’s a wonderful
town. It’s very collaborative, it’s very open, it’s very smart, (and) we have great team members
here. It’s a great place to live and work. It also is centrally located to many of our markets, so
for all of the cities we have to fly to, we can get direct flights. That, from a logistics
standpoint, makes it very easy.

All of our operations in terms of our bakeries and meat plants and frozen facilities are also
located in either Ohio or Indiana or Kentucky. That’s good for logistical purposes, being at the
center of the heartland and being able to ship our products where we need to in a relatively short
amount of time.

Q: What role has marketing played in establishing White Castle as a long-lived, successful
brand?

A: We have a great story to tell. From a marketing standpoint, we just need to make sure that we’<
<
< < < < < < < re getting out there and breaking through all the clutter, which
is a little more challenging, given our size relative to our competitors, who are much larger and
have much larger marketing budgets. We have to be very strategic in how we go after our
customers.

Q: How do consumers influence your brand and product decisions?

A: We think that the best form of advertising is our customers, and the marketing that they do
and the advocacy that they will do. The saying around here is, if you’re having a bad day, go read
our Facebook page. There’s just so much love out there from our customers.

Q: Do you visit the company Facebook page when you’re having a down day?

A: If I’m having a bad day I either go look on Facebook or, if I have the time, I’ll go work in
a Castle. I love to be behind the counter — it’s one of my favorite places to be, actually!
Customers come in, they’re very excited to be there, and to be able to give them this product that
they’re clamoring for is very uplifting.

Q: Were you expected to go into the family business?

A: No, not at all. My dad (White Castle System Chairman and CEO Bill Ingram) was pretty clear.
He was like, “You do whatever you want.”

There wasn’t any pressure to join the family business. Which I think (is) great, because then
you know that the family members that are here are very passionate and they want to be here. Not
because they were expected to be here, but because they really love it.